Review: A Small Plate Feast at Marcus'

There has been a buzz among Bermuda food lovers since May 27th 2015, when Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s restaurant, Marcus', opened at the Hamilton Princess and Beach Club.  Based on our recent Marcus’ experience, the buzz is sure NOT to quiet down anytime soon.  To sum up our visit quite simply: from now on, this is the only food we want to eat.

The restaurant is located in what was formerly the Gazebo Lounge.  The designers of this restaurant have created a space which renders the former banquet and entertainment hub all but a distant memory.  Gone is the gaudy, colourful carpet and heavy window drapery, somewhat standard in Bermuda hotels over the years.  They’ve now been replaced with a chic mixture of contemporary materials - wood, leather, glass and metal, accented with dramatic lighting and modern artwork from the Green family’s personal collection. The atmosphere temporarily takes you to a restaurant you’d find in the midst of your favourite metropolitan city, if not for the views seen through the light airy windows that wrap the restaurant, providing panoramic vistas of the Hamilton Harbour and the manicured walkways of the Princess Hotel.

When you enter the space, the combination of:

• the bar in the middle of the room, 
  
• the open kitchen with a direct view into where the magic happens, 
  
• the buzz of the other customers comfortably making merry in chairs, stools and booths, and 
  
• the many friendly staff whisking to and fro 
  

provide for an immediate sensory stimulation that makes you want to get involved in all the activity as quickly as possible. 

We started with cocktails (so often the beginning of a good night).

We chose two Hurrycanes made with Dark rum, passionfruit, lemon and topped with a basil leaf, essentially a sweet yet tart cocktail with a mild jolt to it and a sweet and spicy Princess Mule, full of gingery kick (from housemade ginger beer) and served in a copper mug.  Once we had admired our drinks sufficiently, we toasted to the start of not only this website, but to what would be an unforgettable meal.

Our Menu Strategy

Wanting to do something different than the traditional meal of an appetizer, entrée and dessert,  and with three of us ordering, (two of us there for our first time), we decided that the best way to experience as much of the menu as possible would be to enjoy a night of shared small plates.  All told, we ended up ordering 11 small plates to share from the Snacks, Raw, Appetizer and Sides sections of the menu, skipping the Main Course section (obviously leaving us with an excuse to come back…(as if we really needed one).

So here is how it went.....

Snacks

• Corn Bread Madeleines served with Tomato Jam and Honey Butter - These will easily be a favourite amongst visitors to Marcus'. These two-bite poppers come with a sweet and creamy honey butter as well as flavourful tomato chutney. A dab of both on your corn bread satisfies many a taste craving on your tongue.
• The soon-to-be-classic Fish Chowder Bites, served with a rum aioli dipping sauce - A whimsical dish for Bermudians as these perfectly spiced, crispy fried croquettes are reminiscent of classic Bermuda fishcake balls, with the distinct flavours of Bermuda fish chowder. We devoured these in minutes.

Raw

• Pot of Fresh Bermuda Vegetables with a yogurt mango dip - No standard baby carrots and celery sticks here.  This was a beautiful bowl of unexpected delights from the gardens of our local farmers, including fresh greens, ramps (a type of wild onion), sliced yellow squash and fennel.  We felt like we needed some veggies to balance out our other choices and this did the trick - crunchy, fresh and delicious.
• Coco Ceviche - Pause please….this one makes us a little bit emotional.  This Latin-influenced dish comprised of fresh caught (as in swimming-earlier-that-day) Rainbow Runner, marinated in coconut and grapefruit, topped with avocado and served with  crispy lavash. For fans of ceviche this is an absolute must!!  Every bite left us swooning and we've been talking about it ever since.  Please get involved immediately.
• Oysters and Rum Mignonette - One taste and your eyes immediately close... almost heightening your senses, allowing you to savour the freshness of these oysters just that much more.  Three to a plate, with the mignonette in the middle so you could add however much you wanted, these tasted like little bites of the sea.  A rum-scented sea.  Incredible.

Appetizers

• Tomato and Seared Watermelon Salad featuring Tucker’s Farm Goat Cheese - This salad converted a non-watermelon lover (yes, that person exists).  This is a seriously beautiful salad, and a favourite of Marcus' patrons from Day 1.  Fresh, sweet and perfectly accented by the local goat cheese, this is a must-try.
• Summer Caesar Salad with anchovies, parmesan and crispy croutons - While unforgettable due to the extremely fresh leafy greens, the presentation of intact anchovies and the perfection of the combined flavours, we all agreed that it was a little heavily dressed for our tastes... (so make a note to ask for this lightly dressed unless dressing is your thing.)
• The Crab and Codfish Cake - With a charred mango salsa topped with bacon (optional) and Salsa Verde.  Far from your standard 'Good Friday' Bermuda Fishcakes...these light, flaky, crab/fishcakes when paired with the accompanying sauces, were somewhat deceptive as their delicate texture contrasts completely with the jarring amount of flavour.  Delicious.
• Fried Chicken and Waffles with piri piri maple syrup - This take on an American, Soul Food favourite is a #yummy blend of sweet, savoury and spice.  On this night we were sharing.  We can't promise that any sharing will happen again with this dish.

Sides

• Parmesan Fries - For the most part, these are standard french fries elegantly seasoned with sea salt and parmesan cheese.  They weren't anything new or earth-shattering, but they were tasty (and gone in short order).
• Mighty Mac and Cheese - Talking about this small dish brings on a smile.  No elbow macaroni 'n cheddar here, but al dente pasta tubes with a (say it slow) rrrrrich and crrrrreamy blend of cheeses.  The cheese nestles into the tubes so every bite is a cheesy masterpiece.  It's no wonder this was kept on the menu from last year's pop-up.  Note to cheese loving fans - addictive.  

And if that wasn’t enough, Executive Chef Leo Marino stopped by our table with what can only be described as a simply beautiful creation (simple in its preparation and presentation, beautiful in the flavour) of Yuzu-marinated, (more of that amazingly fresh) Rainbow Runner, topped with lemon zest, shaved ramps and parsley, served on a crispy lavash. 

Whew…that was such a foodie description.  Yuzu is an Asian citrus fruit.  Ramps (which were also featured in the Pot of Fresh Bermuda Vegetables), are a variety of wild onion.  And lavash is an unleavened crispy flatbread.

But just look.

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Dessert

• 3 sorbet flavours of the day served in cones - Flavours of the day were grapefruit (which, conveniently, tasted exactly like a pink grapefruit), strawberry lemongrass and watermelon black pepper.
• 3 ice cream cones (the same) - Our flavours were two brownie and one pistachio (the third option was blueberry but was skipped due to an allergy)
• Pumpkin Donuts with spiced cream (OMG) - Pause.  One orders donuts and expects something delightfully sweet.  The first bite of these little morsels (insert kid face lit up, eyes wide) convinced us that these just aren’t just your ordinary gourmet donuts. These pumpkin-filled doughy bites of goodness must be the Marcus' take on Portuguese Donuts (malasadas). We’re convinced of this even if no one else is – the flavour, texture, and sweetness took us back to days when you could eat five malasadas without gaining an ounce. The pumpkin filled twist on them, served alongside with spiced cream made them a tasty end to a night of sumptuous eats.

The Damage

After devouring that feast, which (to recap) equated to:

• a total of six cocktails (yes, we snuck in another round)
• two Snacks
• three Raw dishes
• four Appetizers
• two Sides
• three Desserts

The three of us paid $97.50 each, which we thought was great value for money.  We could not have eaten another bite (we actually didn't even finish everything...we didn't leave much behind though), so  you can definitely enjoy Marcus' affordably.  Yet another thing to love about it.

The Wrap-up

The restaurant is a mixture of so many things.  During the course of the night we saw young, old and in between.  Post-happy hour co-workers, couples, friends and guests to our shores, all enjoying a wonderful meal and a great night out.

Marcus' is great for a date, although the inside is not necessarily the most romantic spot...the  busy hum and buzz of activity aren’t exactly conducive to whispering sweet nothings across the table.  Awesome for a group of friends who may want to emulate our approach with the shared plates, which is such a fun and social way to eat.  Or simply stop by for a glass of wine and two small plates on your own or with a friend.  We're going back to tackle that Main Course menu soon, and we know we won't be disappointed.

Thursday night bonus?  Live reggae music by local band The Kings from 9:00 p.m. onwards.